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| Date: | Tuesday 25 May 1993 |
| Time: | 10:14 LT |
| Type: |  MBB BK 117A-4 |
| Owner/operator: | Petroleum Helicopters, Inc. |
| Registration: | N401PH |
| MSN: | 7050 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1985 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 2128 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming LTS 101-650B1 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Lafayette, LA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Unknown |
| Departure airport: | (KLFT) |
| (KLFT) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
AFTER EXPORTATION FROM CANADA, MBB BK 117 HELICOPTER WAS BEING RE-ASSEMBLED & MODIFIED FROM MODEL A-3 TO MODEL A-4; 24 HOUR/DAY SCHEDULE WAS USED TO EXPEDITE MODIFICATION FOR USE AS AIR AMBULANCE. SHIFT CHANGE OCCURRED DURING MAINTENANCE ON VERTICAL CONTROL TUBES; WHEN COMPLETED, HELICOPTER WAS FLOWN ON TEST FLIGHT. NO ANOMALIES OF FLIGHT CONTROLS WERE NOTED UNTIL FLARING TO HOVER BEFORE LANDING. PILOT SAID THAT WHILE POWER WAS BEING APPLIED, CYCLIC & PEDALS WERE MANIP- ULATED ACCORDINGLY. LEFT MOVEMENT OF CYCLIC WAS REQUIRED TO OVERCOME (ROLL &) DRIFT TO RIGHT. AT THAT TIME, THE PILOT NOTED INSUFFICIENT CYCLIC CONTROL & THE HELICOPTER CONTINUED TO ROLL RIGHT UNTIL THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES STRUCK THE GROUND. THE HELICOPTER THEN IMPACTED ON ITS RIGHT SIDE & SLID TO A STOP. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE LATERAL & COLLECTIVE UPPER ADJUSTABLE CONTROL RODS HAD BEEN INTERCHANGED & COLOR CODING REPAINTED. THE INTERCHANGE OF CONTROL RODS RESULTED IN A MISRIGGED SWASHPLATE WITH A HIGHER PRESET COLLECTIVE PITCH & A RIGHT TILT OF THE SWASHPLATE.
Probable Cause: CYCLIC CONTROL ROD MOVEMENT WAS RESTRICTED DUE TO IMPROPER INSTALLATION OF THE LATERAL CYCLIC CONTROL ROD BY COMPANY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB FTW93FA163
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 16 December 2003 | N911WJ | C J Systems Aviation Group | 0 | Okeechobee, FL | |
sub |
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 17-Mar-2024 16:49 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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